I am NOT a casting expert, but a few of those appear to be poured a bit cold. Or are they smoother than they look?

This is exactly my second time casting bullets, so I am anything but an expert. I'm more like a rank amateur.

My lead pot is just about maxed out in temperature setting. I will admit to not knowing what the lead temperature is, though I do have a thermometer ready to stuff batteries in.

The Minies were pretty rough. Remelted a ton of them. I'd dip the mold in the lead trying to keep it hot, but I don't think it worked. The wind was hooting, and getting chilly, and I'm sure the lead was cooling as it was pouring. Summer will be better for casting outside. Inside? Nope. Don't want lead and other stuff fumes floating around.

As I said, I'm no expert. When I used to do a lot of it, I had a temperature controlled mold heater (nothing more than a fancy hotplate), and that helped a lot. The lead pot was temperature controlled too. The one thing I always had some issues with were hollows. That's temperature related too.

I see commercial cast bullets, that almost look machined. How they get them that good I don't know. Of course, there is swaging, but that is when things get really expensive.

Logged

Roswell, New Mexico

Alan

I have an Omega compressor. If you're a fellow Guild member, and you pass through Roswell, NM, I'll fill your portable tank as a courtesy.